Five additional days: Provence or Occitanie?

You will have spent twelve days in beautiful Provence so I recommend that you visit Carcasonne and Occitanie en route to Barcelona. The Cathar castles and the seaside town of Collioure with it’s art history are all interesting places to visit. This area is less visited and we really enjoyed our time there. A visit to the Dalí Museum in Figures as you head into Spain was another fun excursion for us.

Dear Suki and Andrew, thank you for your help!

I will review information on Colliore since both of you recommend it. It looks that Carcassone and Colliore are two candidates for my last week in Europe in this trip.
I will fly to Barcelona on August 28th and will spend few days there and plan to visit Figueres before driving to France.

Thank you again!!

Best regards!

Do not miss Carcassonne! We spent 3 days there last September and loved every minute of it. We are heading back to France for the month of September again.

Thank you for your note apadc,
Did you spend most of the time visiting Carcassone or using it as a base to explore other villages? Several people recommended to visit Carcassone but not staying more than one day there.
Thank you again!

Personally, I liked the Pyrenees (this June) more than Provence (last September). It's prettier, greener and less touristed. I loved the history there more than Dordogne (because much of old Dordogne was destroyed during the 100 years war). Provence has more famous sights so you have to decide what appeals to you more. Either way, the weather should be great in mid September (maybe leaning toward too warm in Provence).

I stayed three nights in a camp ground walking distance from le Cite, Carcassonne. I used it as a base to explore nearby castles and towns each day, but only walked around le Cite at night after everything was closed. I would have liked to have seen Chateau Comtal but never had time to stay around during the day.

While I think Carcassone is worth a visit, I would not base out of there. It can be a bit overrun. There are a number of charming and authentic villages nearby, as well as larger towns. On your way from Aix to Coulliore, you have many choices of places like Aigues Mortes, Sete, Montpellier, etc

I'd also consider heading further east, to hit the hill towns and coastal villages, if you have not been, or into the more mountainous regions. You will see variation in architecture and cuisine as you move from east to west along the southern coast, and in geography.

Thank you Brad and Gooster for you valuable information!
Best regards!